Duo

Aslak Brimi and Erlend Viken

TA75CD_digipak_DA1X12XX Eva Karlsson

For many fiddlers, the combination of two fiddles is the epitome of musical interaction. It is like a conversation. One fiddle asks, the other answers, they taunt each other, fight with each other, console one another and laugh loudly together. The intersection of harmonies, like an infatuation, like a dance no one wants to end.

It is a game of trust which demands brisk ears and open, inquisitive minds. It is mutual respect and trust. Erlend Viken and Aslak O. Brimi play the game well. You can almost hear how the sheer force of the others fiddle make them smile. You feel how the dynamics flow with every stroke of the bow. Erlend as the playful melody maker and Aslak with personal twists which are magnified by the harmonies. As a listener, you become the fly on the wall in their private party. It is a musical interaction with impressions from ancient and modern times. There are stories dressed in blue, mysterious tales or just fun anecdotes. It is the life of the fiddlers. It is the archaic meeting between men from two valleys. The two of us have played a lot together since we first got to know one another.

“We like to play together. And in February we went skiing. We took our producer and good friend, Sjur, with us. Ta:lik’s knowledgeable representative, Niels, came with enthusiasm and newly waxed skis. Fridtjof the soundman, came with heavy sound equipment and an essential head torch. East in the mountains of Jotunheimen we came to a fairy-tale castle called Vianvang. Arne Brimi has spent 15 years creating a fantastic place in the middle of the mountain-kingdom. This is where we decided to isolate and record our music”.